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All these hits lastly caught up with Nico Iamaleava.
After absorbing one punishing blow after one other, the UCLA quarterback will miss Saturday’s recreation towards top-ranked Ohio State at Ohio Stadium due to concussion signs associated to hits he sustained final weekend towards Nebraska, an individual with data of the scenario not licensed to talk publicly mentioned.
Iamaleava was taking part within the early portion of apply Tuesday, the final session noticed by reporters this week.
His absence towards the Buckeyes presumably signifies that high backup Luke Duncan, a redshirt sophomore who has by no means thrown a cross on the faculty stage, will make his first profession begin.
Iamaleava’s potential to take hits and carry on taking part in had been a serious matter of debate early this week between reporters and UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper. The quarterback was simply his group’s main rusher, his common of 52.7 yards per recreation almost doubling the output of working again Jaivian Thomas (30.8), the group’s second-leading rusher.
Skipper had praised Iamaleava’s fearlessness, saying the 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore didn’t need to slide or run out of bounds.
“Nico’s the primary like tall, skinny dude that I do know that may decrease the pads on you and isn’t afraid, he’s going to at all times be going ahead and getting yards and issues like that,” Skipper mentioned Monday. “He’s acquired little legs and thin arms however has no worry in any respect.”
Skipper additionally acknowledged the necessity to protect Iamaleava’s availability by stopping him from taking extra hits than crucial.
“Clearly, he’s your beginning quarterback,” Skipper mentioned. “You don’t need him taking huge hits and issues like that, but when they’re going to provide him working lanes, you would possibly as nicely take them. I child with him on a regular basis, ‘Hey every so often, you would possibly need to slide a bit of bit.’ However , when you might have a pure runner like he’s, you sort of simply allow them to go do their factor.”
Instantly after UCLA’s 28-21 loss to Nebraska, Iamaleava didn’t point out that every one the hits he had taken impacted his efficiency. He accomplished 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns with out an interception whereas additionally working 15 instances for 86 yards.
“Yeah man, shoot, I’ve performed soccer a very long time and I’ve gotten hit a variety of instances in lots of video games,” Iamaleava mentioned. “So, I don’t suppose it affected me in that means. Total, we simply gotta play higher as a complete and end video games.”
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